


Whomp That Sucker!!

by Deerandtheheadlights



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Boxing, Descriptions of people throwing punches and stuff but nothing that violent, Gon and Killlua are just kind of hanging around, M/M, kurapika’s a private investigator, leopika - Freeform, leorio’s a doctor of course, trust me I have an idea for this ok, underground illegal boxing rings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28524138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deerandtheheadlights/pseuds/Deerandtheheadlights
Summary: Kurapika’s investigating a boxing ring underneath Yorknew city. Leorio’s a doctor who happens to enjoy boxing in the same ring. Basically they get to do cool shit just read it ok I think boxing is neat
Relationships: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I said I was never writing any more fan fiction but here I am💔. Anyways I don’t care if anything is incorrect I wrote this all in one night and I’m having a good time alright.

Kurapika never thought he’d find himself in an underground boxing arena. Really, how the hell do you even end up there? 

To start off, Kurapika worked as a private investigator. Recently, he had been paid to investigate an underground crime syndicate. Like, it was literally underground. Since he was a private eye and not a police officer, he was in the boxing ring to simply gather information, and not make any arrests or persecutions (yet).

In Yorknew City, there was always something illegal happening. Previously, Kurapika had been caught up in drug trafficking, artifact smuggling; even the mafia and local gangs. However, his client, Zeppile, had heard rumors of an illegal sort of “fight club”-esque scene that operated beneath the surface. Aside from illegal underground fighting, there was probably a mix of drug trafficking, gang affiliation, and illegal betting tied in with it. Apparently, his brother had gotten caught up in it and was killed. The police had written it off as a casualty of a gang fight and refused to look further into the case, which had pushed Zeppile to hire a private investigator. 

Of course, to find an underground fight ring, one doesn’t just go out and ask whoever they see on the street. By digging through some eyewitness records and talking to some connections, Kurapika thinks he might have found the front for the syndicate. 347 Millard Street, underneath the Black Sheep pub. After going through some of the city’s architecture files and blueprints, he realized that this pub could definitely be the place. Founded ten years before the start of the prohibition era, it's one of the oldest operating businesses in Yorknew. It survived through prohibition, and although the main building itself is small, it could definitely have underground access. Although many of them were sealed up in a mandate by the city back in the 80’s, the underground of Yorknew City is honeycombed with old bootlegger distilleries. 

So it’s a start to his investigation, and Kurapika now stood outside the Black Sheep Pub. It was fall, and underneath his pants and jacket his skin goosebumped. 

When he entered the pub, he was greeted with a rush of warm, alcohol scented air. Inside, patrons dined at tables or the bar, a waitress or two zipping between them to refill their glasses. In the background, an upbeat rock song filled the spaces of conversations. Nobody looked at him as he made his way towards the back of the room. 

_ If I was an illegal fighting ring, where would I be? _

There's two doors- one has a restroom sign, and the other is being opened by a waiter with plates of food in their hands. Wisely, Kurapika chooses to sneak behind the waiter, the door barely catching his shoe on the way in. Behind the door, the kitchen staff looks busy as hell- they also don’t pay him any attention, shouting orders over his head. Quickly, he scans the room. There, in the back, there’s another door. Rushing towards it, he dodges a cart full of dishes and flings himself into the room. 

Inside, it’s a dark stairwell. Cement steps lead out of the current blackness and down into a faint glow.

_ Well, this very easily could be it. _

Shrugging off any doubts he once had, Kurapika went down the steps as quietly as he could. After walking down one flight, the stairs stopped and turned another direction. These, however, had wood reinforcements on them, and the walls that flanked them were also wooden. The whole section looked older. From here, Kurapika could faintly hear the sounds of people. As he went down another flight, the cheers and screams of the unseen crowd grew louder and reverberated off the stairwell walls. Finally, at last he reached the bottom and stepped out into the glaring lights.

Woah. Three stories underground was an area the size of a large gymnasium. With cement walls and blinding industrial lights, the place could easily house hundreds of people. Looking around, Kurapika saw that there were at least two other entrances, with people occasionally stepping into the booming crowd, which was huge. Despite the chill of fall above ground, the room was incredibly warm. People, mostly adults, packed shoulder to shoulder, were yelling and passing money from one to another. Their focus was on the multiple boxing rings, scattered throughout the floor of the area. This place was bigger and crazier than Kurapika could have ever imagined.

All around him people bustled, hardly taking any notice to him. In a ring to his left, a weedy beanpole of a man and a short but sturdy looking man were dukeing it out with boxing gloves. Circled around their ring, others jeered and placed bets as the man Kurapika could only assume was the referee screamed and whistled. In yet another ring, boxers in pairs of two took each other on. There were definitely more rings, but Kurapika couldn’t see over the crowd.

Pushing his way through the people, he moved towards the first ring he had seen. There, beanpole stood triumphant, held up by the referee. On the ground next to him, his short opponent lay with blood leaking from his nose. 

Next to Kurapika, a large older man in a fedora groaned and angrily handed over a fistful of cash to a woman who smiled energetically. 

“See, I told ya Markie’s boy would do it! I told ya!”

“Fuck outta here, he’s a beginner for Christ’s sake. How the hell was I supposed to know he’d knock out my man?”

Kurapika stood silently next to him, waiting to hopefully hear some important information. The roar of the crowd was deafening, and it took all his focus just to catch words being said less than a foot away from him. 

“Eh? You want something, kid? You awfully quiet.”

With a jolt of surprise, Kurapika realized that the man next to him had taken notice of him.

“Huh? Oh no, I was just taking it all in. Just wondering how it all works, you know.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, since now he had also caught the attention of the lady next to him.

“What, you a fuckin narc or something? Or are you just one of those new fighters around here, huh?”

_ Awe shit _ . Under the intense noise of the room, Kurapika had slipped up. What the fuck was he supposed to do?

“Yeah, yeah I’m a new fighter. That’s what I am, I’m starting tonight.”

_ Shit, if he was caught, he would have fucked his whole case up. If the people running the operation found out, by tomorrow night the whole underground area would be empty, people gone without a trace. _

The man looked him over suspiciously, sneer on his lip. After a moment of deliberation, he had seemingly decided.

“Alright then, get your ass up there!” He concluded, dragging Kurapika to the side of the ring by his jacket.

“Get up in there then! I wanna see some blood!”

His smile was almost malicious, as if he knew that Kurapika was actually a private investigator. 

Before he had time to protest, he found himself getting pressed into the boxing ring. Now, obviously Kurapika knew self defense. He had taken punches to the face before, and he damn sure knew how to deal then. However, he was not planning to fight tonight, and although he could fight if he had to, it wasn’t his go to option. Kurapika was definitely not the strongest physically, but for what he lacked in muscle and height, he made up for with speed and agility. So here he was, in an underground boxing arena.

“You up next?” The referee was leaning over him and inspecting him. Nodding his head, Kurapika pulled off his jacket and shirt.

“Here.” A pair of boxing gloves were thrust into his chest. Ew, was that blood on them? Looking over, Kurapika realized that they must have been the tall guy’s opponent’s. Oh well, it was too late to worry about getting some weird blood disease now. From behind the ropes, the man from earlier watched him with a scrutinizing gaze, as if he was waiting for Kurapika to chicken out. On the other side of the ring, the beanpole wiped sweat off his forehead with a towel. Through the ropes, encouraging hands reached and faces appeared, whispering to him. In the sea of heads that surrounded them, money was passed and bets were placed.

“A-A-A-A-A-ALL RIGHT FOLKS!” 

The referee announced, sending the nearby crowd into a frenzy.

“TONIGHT, IN OUR RING, WE HAVE VINNY VERSUS- oh, sorry kid, what did you say your name was?”

_ Shit _

Obviously Kurapika couldn’t give his real name, so he had to come up with something on the spot.

“Uh, it’s, uh, Joseph.”

_ Dumbass. At least Joseph is forgettable, and at least 30 people here have gotta have the same name. Best to play it safe I guess. _

The referee gives him a glance, and continues in with his speech.

“JOSEPH!”

At this, the crowd surges even more. Across the ring, Tommy hops to and fro on his feet, sweat still rolling off his forehead, thin brown hair sticking up in tufts. Kurapika looks down at his gloves- they’re thrashed, speckled with blood and seams bursting.

“BOTH ARE NEWBIES, SO AS USUAL, THERE ARE NO OFFICIAL RULES- ANYTHING GOES,”

The man steps out of the middle to the side of the ring, and holds his arm up like a flag.

“AND, BEGIN!”

With that, his arm drops, and the men take off towards each other. Kurapika can feel his heart pounding, adrenaline shaking his bones. Now they’re face to face, and Kurapika is just barely dodging blows from Tommy, who has to be a good eight inches taller than him.

_ Ok, ok, focus. Not just on dodging his punches, but on landing some of your own. _

Tommy is swinging downwards to hit him, and in return, Kurapika lands a shaky hit to his stomach. It’s a little scary, to throw a punch and have it land. His forearm rings with the impact, and it only briefly winds his opponent. The brown haired man launches another volley of punches, a few of which glance Kurapika’s cheek and chest. 

_ Jesus Christ, I gotta focus _

Locking in in his opponent, Kurapika finally surges upwards, arm extending and clocking Tommy right in the jaw with all his strength. The man’s eyes go wide as his neck whips back, and he fumbles and falls to the ground. Snorting like a bull from his nostrils, breath pushing his hair out in front of his face, Kurapika stands strongly over his opponent.

“A-A-A-A-A-AND THE WINNER IS JOSEPH! ITS A KNOCKOUT!”

Reluctantly, Tommy is picked up by a pair of muttering men who grumble as they drag him out of the other side of the ring. The referee grabs Kurapika’s arm and hoists it up, showing his victory off to the crowd, which contains a nice amount of surprised faces.

_ Ok, so what do I do now? _

As soon as he’s about to ponder on that thought for a bit more, he finds himself back in his corner of the ring, an unnamed hand wiping sweat off his forehead with a towel. Just as soon as he looks away, there’s another opponent waiting in the ring. This time, it’s a beefy teenager.

Almost before he can process it, the referee is shouting his same spiel, and Kurapika is standing over an eighteen year old with who looks butthurt. Two more matches go on this way- one with a short girl, and another with a middle aged man who Kurapika lays out flat. At this point, the crowd is cheering for him. Kurapika’s feeling tired- how much longer can he last?

This is when another opponent steps into the ring. At the sight of him, the crowd goes wild again (not like it ever wasn’t wild). Kurapika figures that this guy isn’t new around here. Unlike his other opponents, the man is smiling a huge rakish smile, akin to a child smiling for a picture when they’re too young to feel insecure about their teeth. He’s got wild black hair and patch stubble around his jaw. He’s ugly but in a hot way- maybe his chin is too big or his forehead is too long, but whatever it is it makes him sexy in the worst way. In his corner of the mat lays a neatly folded shirt with a pair of black tea shade glasses sitting on top. If you were just looking at his face, it would be easy to assume that he was an old man, but since his shirt is off, it’s very obvious that he isn’t. He’s buff, body filled out with healthy muscle and a nice layer of fat over his abs, which can be seen moving underneath. 

“NEXT UP WE HAVE LEORIO VERSUS JOSEPH!”

And just like that, the referee lowers his arm, and the match begins.

_ Ok Kurapika, he’s taller than you, stronger than you, and more experienced than you. To beat him, you’ve gotta- _

And that’s far as his thought process gets. Leorio lands a powerful punch directly to his nose, sending pain shooting all over his face. Damn. That is one powerful ass punch.

His overgrown mullet waves around his face as he falls back. Kurapika’s on the ground, getting dragged off the mat as his opponent stands triumphantly, arm raised, still grinning ear to ear. Blood flows freely down his lip as he gathers up his shirt and jacket, crowd booing behind him. As quick as he can, Kurapika scrambles up the nearest staircase.

As soon as he’s away from the crowd, he slides in his clothes, wiping his bloody nose off on the inside of his jacket. It hurts like hell, and it’s definitely gonna hurt tomorrow too. Making his way up the stairwell, Kurapika pushes open the door and stumbles out into a dentist’s office. There’s nobody there except for a receptionist, who gives him a passing glance as he throws himself through the exit and out into the street.

Compared to the warmth of the underground, the fall night air stings his nose and cheeks. Exhaling sharply, he hustles to his car as fast as he can.

  
  


When Kurapika gets back to his house, it’s around one in the morning. Quietly, he turns the key and pushes the door open, taking care not to wake Gon and Killua. However, this fails as soon as he steps inside.

“Kurapika!! Where were you?? I was so worried about you!!”

In his green pajamas, Gon rushes over and wraps him in a hug, forcing the air from his chest.

“Jeeze!” Kurapika wheezes, rubbing Gon’s spiky hair. 

“I’m fine, thanks for asking. I’m working a case- Gon, you know better than to stay up this late and ask about my business!” 

Glancing over, he sees a shock of white hair tiptoeing towards him too. It’s Killua, who has a worried look on his face too.

“Killua, you too! You both know not to stay up this late. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs quietly, pulling in his cloud of hair.

“Gon was really worried.”

“It’s fine. Both of you, go back to bed.”

Finally, Gon separates from him, only to notice his broken nose.

“KURAPIKA!! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR NOSE??!”

“Well, uh, I got punched. In the nose.”

Gon’s face is as white as a sheet. 

“That looks like it really hurts!! I know you said not to get involved with your work but you need to go to a doctor!! NOW!”

Kurapika rolls his eyes at the twelve year old.

“Gon, it’s one in the morning. I’m not going to a doctor right now.”

Gon huffs. 

“Ok, but you better go to one in the morning.”

He eyes Kurapika.

“Promise?”

The blond rolls his eyes.

“Promise. Now both of you, go back to bed. C’mon.”

Waving his hands, he herds the kids back to their bunk bed.

“Goodnight guys.”

“Promos you’ll go see a doctor in the morning?” Gon has puppy eyes.

“Promise.”

Closing the door, Kurapika heads back through the kitchen to his own room. Neither Gon nor Killua were his biological sons, but somehow he had become their parent.

Ging, Gon’s dad, had used to work with Kurapika alongside him as a private eye. However, about two years ago, he had been killed while trying to gain information on the mafia that controlled Yorknew city. Outside of work, Kurapika didn’t know anything about Ging. Apparently, the man had so little friends that in his will, Kurapika was the first person he had listed to take care of his son in the event that he died. The whole thing came as a total shock to Kurapika- first, that Ging had a son, and that Kurapika was supposed to be the kid’s new parent? The whole thing was out of the blue, but Ging had been faithful and honest in his work, so reluctantly, Kurapika had said yes. He was nervous at first, but Gon was such a sweet and energetic kid that they had gotten along just fine. Since Kurapika made enough money and got to choose his own work hours, he had been able to reshape his life around Gon, and things had worked out. He had told Gon a million times not to worry about him and to stay out of his work, but that didn’t stop him from doing it.

Killua was a little different. One day, Gon had brought home his friend from school, insisting that he needed to stay at their house. From what little information Kurapika had gathered, Killua was probably from an abusive household. Kurapika wasn’t gonna just turn some random kid who needed a place to stay out, so of course he had said yes. At first, Killua had stayed over for weekends, sleeping on the couch or the floor of Gon’s room. However, as time went on, he started to stay over for longer. Kurapika didn’t mind- he was a nice kid, just shy and a bit distrustful of adults. It became this unspoken thing- Gon was always with Killua, Killua was always with Gon. For his birthday, Kurapika had bought Gon a bunk bed- “now you guys can share a room, how about that!” Slowly, Killua had started to move in with them.

At first, Kurapika was worried, but nobody from Killua’s family had tried to contact him or look for their son. Maybe it was for the best. So this is how they had all ended up together, one weird family all under the same roof. It wasn’t really how Kurapika had pictured his life turning out, but he honestly couldn’t complain. 

  
  



	2. Beat the champ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don’t be mad at me if I don’t finish this if you’ve ever read anything I’ve written you know that I can’t write endings for shit ok. I just see a cool scene in my head and in order to make it happen I have to write a story around it.

Just as Kurapika had promised, the first thing he did that morning was go and visit a doctor. Well, after driving Gon and Killua to school. 

The doctor’s office Kurapika always went to was only about two blocks away, so he walked. The air stung his broken nose even worse in the morning. It was a lot more swollen and painful today- damn, maybe Gon was right about going to the doctor. As soon as he got there, the receptionist winced at his nose and the bruise on his cheek that had blossomed overnight. Silently, Kurapika signed in.

“Have a seat, a doctor will be with you in just a moment,” she told him, opening up one of the private rooms for him to sit in.

“Thenks,” he replied, suddenly aware of how nasally he sounded. 

As he waited, he thought back to last night, staring down at his feet. 

_ I’ve gotta go back there. I need to get more information, even if I have to fight again. _

With a click, the door opened. Kurapika was still lost in his thoughts, head down. A pair of shiny brown shoes step into his line of focus.

“Ah, hello!” The doctor speaks with a peppy voice, grin almost auditory. Kurapika hears him flip through some paper on his clipboard.

“I’m doctor Paladiknight, nice to see you, mister…… Kurta! Aha, that’s your name! So, what brings you in today?”

It’s too early in the morning for this bullshit and Kurapika is way too tired for this peppy motherfucker. 

“Uh, yeah, what can you do about a broken nose?” Kurapika looks up for the first time as doctor Paladiknight is looking at his computer screen.

“A broken nose? Well, hmmm….” He turns around, and they finally lock eyes. Kurapika’s are wide in shock, just as the doctor’s are.

“Ah!” The man jumps up.

“You’re- you’re fucking Joseph! From last night!”

“Yeah, and you’re fucking Leorio! The asshole who gave me this broken nose!” Kurapika points an accusatory finger at him.

For a moment, Leorio smiles sheepishly, taking in his handiwork. Suddenly, he looks back at his clipboard.

“Wait, you’re not fucking Joseph! You’re- your name is Kurapika!”

_ Shit _

Slamming his arm backwards, Leorio’s fingers lock the door.

“I’m- I’ll call the cops on you, and tell them that you’ve been participating in the boxing ring.”

“You dumbass.” Kurapika snorts, nose pain forgotten.

“What are you gonna say? That you were at the fight too and that’s how you saw me? Have fun with that. I could just as easily turn you over to the police.”

The doctor glares at him, eyebrows knitted together.

“Besides, I’m not there to actually participate. I’m investigating the fighting ring.”

“Oh yeah? By fighting in it?”

_ Damn. What are the odds that he’d meet Leorio again. _

At this point, since his whole damn foot is in his mouth, he might as well explain himself.

“Look, I’m a private investigator, and I’m looking into this whole underground fighting racket. I mean, you’re a doctor, what the hell are you doing down there?”

Kurapika squints at him.

“Oh, well, I like to box. It’s a good way to blow off steam, and besides, it doesn’t hurt to earn money from it. A little side hustle, you know.”

He turns back to the computer. 

“I’ll give you a prescription for a decongestant and some antibiotics. I definitely broke it last night.”

Scribbling on a piece of paper, he stops and looks up at Kurapika.

“Look, you wanna find out more about the people who run this whole boxing ring, right?”

Kurapika nods slowly, doubtful.

“Then you gotta box. You gotta get to the top. That’s the only way to get in contact with the people running this show- hell, I don’t even know who they are.”

Here, Kurapika decides that maybe Leorio could be valuable. He’s definitely a witness, and he knows more about this syndicate than Kurapika does.

“Alright.”

Kurapika sits up, pushing the hair out of his face.

“I won’t narc on you-“

Leorio looks relieved.

“If you teach me how to box better.”

“What?! Be your teacher? Really?”

He finishes writing.

Kurapika just glares at him.

“If that’s really the only way to get to the people behind it all, then yeah.”

“Really? Come on man.”

“Take it or leave it. I can rat you out as soon as I step out of this room.”

Defensively, Leorio moves to block the door.

“Mmmmmmf. Fine,” he says angrily.

“Meet me back in the ring at 2. Today.”

_ Finally! I’m getting closer to solving this thing. _

Kurapika smiles at him.

“Alright then, boxing partner.”

He shakes Leorio’s hand, while the man himself looks away snottily. Quickly, he hands over the filled prescription.

“You realize that if you tell anyone about this, it’s over for you.”

“Do you have a pair of extra gloves I can borrow?”

“You are not in the position to be asking for things right now, mister Kurta.”

Kurapika glares at him again.

“Yes. Fine. Just get out of here,” Leorio grumbles shooing him out the door.

“See you soon.”

As he pays at the front desk, Kurapika notices that a phone number is hastily scrawled on the back of his prescription.

_ Huh. Weird. _

It’s only ten o’clock, so until two, Kurapika goes about his day like normal after getting his prescription filled. Looking back through the city’s architecture files, he thinks he could have found where the other two entrances he saw lead two. One was definitely under the Mason Dental Office, where he had exited last night. Although it had only been a dentistry for a few years, the building itself was old enough to have an underground passageway connected to it. The other, based on its position to the first two entrances, could either be the jewelry store or the Italian restaurant. All the buildings above ground in that area were old- Kurapika assumes they must be part of a historic district or something. However, there could definitely be more businesses serving as access points to this place. Since Kurapika was not the tallest person down there and there had been so many people, it wasn’t unlikely. Besides, the people who ran the whole racket were obviously rich and powerful- the arena was huge and refurbished, and somehow he had never heard a peep about it once before despite it being a massive operation. 

Suddenly, it’s already 1:30, and Kurapika gathers up his equipment- an old pair of basketball shorts that he’s wearing, a water bottle, and a towel. Gon and Killua take the bus home from school and have house keys, so they’ll be fine if he has to stay past 3:30. Before he leaves, he uses the decongestant Leorio prescribed him, gagging at the feeling.

Jumping in his car, he decides to return to the dentist’s office. After parking across the street, he slips in through the doors. As fast as he can, he opens up the door that leads to the stairwell. Either the people working there don’t notice him or they simply don’t care.

Quietly, he hops down the cement steps, footsteps ringing out. Unlike last night, there aren’t any screams or cheers resonating from the area. As he steps out, he sees why.

In the daytime, the arena is pretty much empty. Now, without all the people, Kurapika can see that there’s another staircase that leads down, and a locked door. The whole underground area is also a lot bigger than he had thought it was last night. The boxing rings are empty, save for a few people who spar in them. To his right, there’s even a few punching bags and a box full of old gloves. Along the junction of the floor and the walls sits some crates- either to sit on or to store things. 

“Hey.”

Leorio’s in the same ring as last night, waving to him with his usual cheeky grin. His shirt is already off, and he’s munching on an apple. Kurapika walks over to him, ducking inbetween the ropes.

“So, you wanna learn how to box?”

Kurapika pulls off his shirt, throwing it in the corner where he’s placed his water bottle and towel.

“Yes. Also, what’s the deal with this place? How is it open during the day?”

Leorio rubs his chin.

“Well, nobody’s really here during the day, so many of the boxers come to practice. Not me really, since I’m not part of a pair. Here, take these.”

He hands Kurapika a pair of boxing gloves. They’re red and shine under the lights.

“First off-“ Leorio starts, readying himself.

“You need to learn the basics. Don’t worry, I won’t go too hard on you. Yet.” One thing Kurapika has noticed about Leorio is that he’s always grinning and smirking like some kind of a dumbass.

“Alright, first thing we’re gonna learn- the jab.”

Coming up behind Kurapika, he grabs a hold of his arms from the back, as if to move them for him. It’s a little weird, to have some random dude pressed up against him, but then again this whole thing is a little weird.

“The goal is to hit your opponent in the chin, like this.” He pulls Kurapika’s right arm out in front of him, making sure it's level with his shoulder.

“Uh, you’re right handed, right?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, so just like that. Keep your other arm tucked beneath your chin, to defend yourself.”

He pulls Kurapika’s right arm out and back a couple times, showing him the motion.

“Now you try it.”

As he steps back, Kurapika punches the air with his right arm.

“Like that?”

Leorio smiles.

“Good, good! Just try not to move forward too much when you do it- have your feet stay planted, with your legs like this.” He demonstrates by buckling his knees, right leg farther out. Kurapika mirrors him.

“Now, since you want to hit your opponent in the jaw, you might, uh, have to aim more upwards. Especially if you’re fighting me.” He stops and thinks about it for a second.

“No, actually, you’d want to use an uppercut to go upwards on an opponent. You bend your elbow at 90 degrees- good, yes, just like that. Keep a low center of gravity, and then BAM!”

Leorio punches upwards with force. Silently, Kurapika follows suit.

“Now show me your jab! Uppercut! Jab! Uppercut! Jab! Jab again!”

Enthusiastically, Leorio makes him dance from move to move. Kurapika’s already feeling his arm getting sore.

Before he knows it, it’s 3:30, and he’s learned about the jab, uppercut, cross, and hook. It gets hot in the arena, and Leorio has been making him work. He wipes sweat from his forehead as he grabs his water bottle from the corner. Mutually, they had decided that an hour and a half was a long enough time to practice.

They exit the ring, tugging their shirts back on. 

“See you tomorrow?”

Leorio looks a little surprised at his offer, wide eyes peering out from behind his glasses.

“Uh, yeah, definitely.” Flashing him another smile, he claps Kurapika on the back and sprint-walks up the staircase that leads to the pub.

“See you tomorrow!”

And with that, he’s gone. Kurapika heads back up the stairs to the dentist. His arm is sore, and he slinks past the receptionist once again. She pays him no mind. Starting his car, he breathes out a sigh. This case is going to take longer than he thought it would.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title comes from the mountain goats’ album beat the champ. Sorry if you’re a boxer and I fucked up with the terms I just think it’s neat.

**Author's Note:**

> I think Leorio would make a good boxer. He just kind of has that underdog, “can’t knock me down” aura. Also I was listening to Sparks’ album “Whomp That Sucker” earlier and came up with this whole thing.


End file.
